Marlow Lock is a lock

Lock (water transport)

A lock is a device for raising and lowering boats between stretches of water of different levels on river and canal waterways. The distinguishing feature of a lock is a fixed chamber in which the water level can be varied; whereas in a caisson lock, a boat lift, or on a canal inclined plane, it is...

 and weir

Weir

A weir is a small overflow dam used to alter the flow characteristics of a river or stream. In most cases weirs take the form of a barrier across the river that causes water to pool behind the structure , but allows water to flow over the top...

 situated on the River Thames

River Thames

The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...

 in the town of Marlow, Buckinghamshire

Marlow, Buckinghamshire

Marlow is a town and civil parish within Wycombe district in south Buckinghamshire, England...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

. The first pound lock was built by the Thames Navigation Commission

Thames Navigation Commission

The Thames Navigation Commission used to manage the River Thames in southern England. In particular, they were responsible for installing or renovating many of the locks on the river in the 18th and early 19th centuries.- History :...

 in 1773.

The weir stretches a long way upstream above the lock.

History

A weir at Marlow is recorded in Domesday book

Domesday Book

Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...

, and there are 14th century records of a winch to pull traffic through a flash lock

Flash lock

Early locks were designed with a single gate, known as a flash lock or staunch lock. The earliest European references to what were clearly flash locks were in Roman times....

. The lock was very problematical and in the 16th and 17th century there are accounts of conflicts between millers and navigators. A particular problems was the shallow draught. The first pound lock was built of fir in 1773, the seventh downstream of the eight built after the 1770 navigation act. It was upstream of the present lock on still proved problematical. Rollers were needed to guide barges in and as there was no towpath barges needed tow ropes several hundred feet long. The lock needed extensive repairs in 1780 and a year later eel buck

Eel buck

Eel bucks are a type of fish trap that was prevalent in the River Thames in England up to the 20th century. It was used particularly to catch eels which were a staple part of the London diet....

s had to be removed from the flash lock in case it was needed. The first lock house was erected in 1815 and in 1825 the lock was reconstructed on its present site of Headington stone

Headington stone

Headington stone is a limestone from the Headington Quarry area of Oxford, England.- Geology :Around 160 million years ago, during the Late Jurassic period, Britain was located further south and was submerged beneath a subtropical sea. The warm conditions meant that coral reefs could flourish. When...

. The weir was rebuilt in 1872. The last rebuilding of the lock occurred in 1927.

Reach above the lock

The long weir stretches several hundred yards above the lock, and beyond it is Marlow suspension bridge

Marlow Bridge

Marlow Bridge is a road traffic and foot bridge over the River Thames in England between the town of Marlow, Buckinghamshire and the village of Bisham in Berkshire. It crosses the Thames just upstream of Marlow Lock, on the reach to Temple Lock....

 close to the church. Once the river leaves the Marlow, it curls through hills and beechwoods . On the Berkshire side is Bisham Abbey

Bisham Abbey

Bisham Abbey is a Grade I listed manor house at Bisham in the English county of Berkshire. The name is taken from the now lost monastery which once stood alongside. Bisham Abbey was previously named Bisham Priory, and was the traditional resting place of many Earls of Salisbury...

, a fine old mansion associated with Anne of Cleves

Anne of Cleves

Anne of Cleves was a German noblewoman and the fourth wife of Henry VIII of England and as such she was Queen of England from 6 January 1540 to 9 July 1540. The marriage was never consummated, and she was not crowned queen consort...

 and Queen Elizabeth that is now one of the National Sports Centres

National Sports Centres

There are five National Sports Centres as part of Sport England's strategy to create an elite of English grown world class sporting talent:* Bisham Abbey* Crystal Palace* Holme Pierrepont National Watersports Centre* Lilleshall...

. Further upstream is the church of Bisham itself.

Temple Mill Island

Temple Mill Island

Temple Mill Island is an island in the River Thames in England upstream of Marlow, and just downstream of Temple Lock. It is on the southern Berkshire bank close to Hurley....

 is just downstream of Temple Lock.

Temple Regatta takes place in early May between Marlow Bridge and Temple Lock, and Marlow Town Regatta is held in June.

Thames Path

The Thames Path

Thames Path

The Thames Path is a National Trail, opened in 1996, following the length of the River Thames from its source near Kemble in Gloucestershire to the Thames Barrier at Charlton. It is about long....

 leaves Marlow and continues on the Bucks

Buckinghamshire

Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....

 side to Temple Lock.

Literature and the media

The poet Percy Bysshe Shelley

Percy Bysshe Shelley

Percy Bysshe Shelley was one of the major English Romantic poets and is critically regarded as among the finest lyric poets in the English language. Shelley was famous for his association with John Keats and Lord Byron...

 lived in the town and spent much of his time on the river above the lock in a skiff

Thames skiff

A Thames skiff is a traditional River Thames wooden rowing boat used for the activity of Skiffing. These boats evolved from Thames wherries in the Victorian era to meet a passion for river exploration and leisure outings on the water.-Construction of a skiff:...

.